Dorner morphing into an anti-hero?

posted at 2:01 pm on February 10, 2013 by Jazz Shaw

I have, at times, been accused of being somewhat naive when it comes to modern culture, both by family members and readers alike. Perhaps you’re all on to something there, because I certainly never saw this coming. As the search continues for alleged cop killer Christopher Dorner, there is an emerging theme – at least on the West Coast – that perhaps Dorner is some sort of Robin Hood, standing up for the little guy and taking it to the corrupt LA police force.

Support Growing For Former L.A. Officer Accused Of Killing Spree

Dorner lost his job with the Los Angeles Police Department in 2008. His manifesto vows revenge for that; and, surprisingly, thousands of people actually support him.

It’s hard to believe but there are those out there who sympathize with the man targeting police officers.

One Facebook page is proclaiming Dorner for president. “We propose electing a man who could no longer sit idly by and watch as malicious tyrants abuse the innocent.”

The description on “We Are All Chris Dorner” chillingly says, “Yes, this is war.”

I can’t even conceive of this, but apparently these cheerleaders of mayhem have their reasons. When the local news station put out the question as to why anyone would support this crime spree, one respondent answered, “Because something needs to be done about the long known corruption of not only the LAPD, but several agencies.”

To add insult to injury, even as thousands of law enforcement officers are searching for him, the police department is reopening an investigation into the circumstances of his firing. If this is being done as some sort of tactical ploy to draw him out of hiding and into “negotiations” so he can be taken into custody, then I suppose that’s fine. But if the administration at the police department is seriously responding to the murder and attempted murder of several of their officers by saying, “oh, wait… let’s see if maybe he’s got a point” … then the world has truly turned on its ear. Even if that were the case, the time to examine the question is not while Dorner is actively hunting cops and it only adds to this Robin Hood persona building around him.

I understand that there are people out there with grievances against the LAPD, both in the community and among their own ranks. How much of the public perception – frequently fostered by the media, as in the Rodney King case – is real and how much of it is misdirected, manufactured outrage is up for debate. And perhaps Dorner had some sort of legitimate complaint about the circumstances surrounding his termination from work. But for anyone to lionize this maniac’s actions as some form of perverted justice speaks volumes about our society, and it’s not a pretty picture being painted.

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